E-Paper
Chandigarh RPO official granted bail in graft case
The special CBI court observed that an accused incarcerated for a long period may end up like Dr Manette in Charles Dicken’s novel “A Tale of Two Cities”, who had forgotten his profession and even his name in the Bastille
Observing that an accused incarcerated for a long period may end up like Dr Manette in Charles Dicken’s novel “A Tale of Two Cities”, who had forgotten his profession and even his name in the Bastille, the special court of Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has allowed the bail application of Rajiv Khetarpal, assistant superintendent at the Regional Passport Office (RPO), Sector 34, Chandigarh, in a graft case.
CBI special judge Sushil Kumar Garg pronounced the order over a WhatsApp video call.
Khetarpal and one Balinder Singh, a resident of Kumaun Colony, Nayagaon, Mohali were arrested by the CBI in March for allegedly accepting ₹30,000 bribe for renewal of a passport.
“Detaining of the accused behind the bars is not likely to serve any purpose... Often this (concluding of trial) takes several years, and if the accused is denied bail but is ultimately acquitted, who will restore so many years of his life spent in custody?” observed the court, while ordering the accused to furnish personal bond of ₹50,000 before the Burail jail superintendent, who will submit it in the court as and when the court reopens.
THE CASE
On March 2, an FIR was registered under Section 7 of Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988.
The complainant, Jagdeep Singh, said that on January 27, he had submitted an application through online RPO portal for renewal of his passport. Singh telephonically contacted Balinder, who sought ₹25,000-30,000 bribe, threatening “to delay infinitely or reject the renewal file.”
The CBI had laid a trap and caught Balinder while accepting the bribe “on behalf of” Rajiv Khetarpal. Balinder was asked to make a call to Khetarpal and inform him about the bribe amount, following which he was caught the next morning.
